On 7 October 2022, the Australian Government announced the appointment of Dr Kerry Schott AO to lead an independent review of the Inland Rail Program.
Dr Schott sought submissions from interested parties to share their views, experience and expectations on key themes relating to the delivery of the Inland Rail Program. The guiding questions under each theme were intended to inform the review, rather than limit it. Dr Schott welcomed all feedback on the themes.
The independent review received more than 140 submissions. Submissions have been published on this page for transparency, unless the individual or organisation requested otherwise.
Why we want your input
To help inform the review of the delivery of the Inland Rail Program.How you can voice your opinion
Submission were lodged by email to IR.Review@infrastructure.gov.au.What will be the outcome of this consultation?
Submissions were used to help inform the independent review.The Issue
Inland Rail is an important part of building additional capability and capacity to increase the resilience of Australia's freight supply chain and meet our growing freight task—which is forecast to grow by up to 35 per cent by 2040. Read more about Inland Rail.
Up to $14.5 billion in equity and $300 million in grant funding has been committed by the Australian Government to support the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to deliver Inland Rail. While construction commenced in 2018, significant cost and schedule pressures are emerging in response to broader market constraints and macroeconomic factors.
This independent review takes a close look at the management and delivery of the Inland Rail program. Read the Terms of Reference.
Reviewer
Dr Kerry Schott is currently chair of the NSW Net Zero Emissions Board and a Member of Aware Super's Direct Assets Committee, a previous chair of the Moorebank Intermodal, a Director of NBN, Chair of the Energy Security Board, and Managing Director and CEO of Sydney Water from 2006 to 2011.
Relevant documentation
- Terms of Reference (PDF)
- Delivery of Inland Rail: An Independent Review
- Australian Government response to the independent review of Inland Rail
- Media release: Getting Inland Rail back on track
The following submissions were created by third parties and may not meet WCAG 2.0 requirements. For accessible copies, please email IR.Review@infrastructure.gov.au.
Key themes
- ARTC governance and management arrangements for the delivery of the Inland Rail Program.
- How could ARTC improve its management arrangements and structures to better facilitate the delivery of the Inland Rail Program?
- The role of Inland Rail in meeting Australia's growing freight task and providing a Service Offering to meet freight sector needs.
- How could Inland Rail and access to intermodal terminals create new opportunities and benefits for your region/industry/community?
- The processes for the selection and refinement of the Inland Rail route and whether these processes are fit-for-purpose, including consideration of benefits and impacts.
- Do you consider ARTC's approach to engaging communities on the route is fit-for-purpose?
- How could ARTC improve its engagement with communities and stakeholders along the route in regard to the processes used to consider benefits and impacts?
- The effectiveness of ARTC's community and stakeholder engagement processes, and opportunities for improvement, including ARTC's approach to addressing community concerns.
- What has ARTC done well in engaging with communities, including addressing community concerns?
- In what ways could ARTC improve its communication and engagement processes with communities and stakeholders?
- How could ARTC improve its engagement with communities and stakeholders in responding to concerns?
Participate
Submissions are sought in relation to the key themes and guiding questions.
The period for submissions closes on 11 November 2022.
Please include the following information in your submission.
- response to theme
- contact name
- organisation name, if applicable
- contact details, including telephone number, postal and email addresses
- confirmation whether or not your submission can be made public (uploaded) or kept confidential.
All submissions to be made public need to meet the Digital Service Standard for accessibility. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be modified before being made public.
If your submission is to be made public, please ensure you do not include any personal information that you do not want to be published.
If your submission is confidential, please ensure each page of the submission is marked as confidential.
Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to upload your submission.
Alternatively please email your completed template submission to IR.Review@infrastructure.gov.au
Or send a written submission to:
Assistant Director – Inland Rail Review Secretariat
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
GPO Box 594
CANBERRA ACT 2601